Germany crush Argentina 4-0 to reach semi-final round

Germany stunned Argentina with an incredible 4-0 win in the quarter-finals Saturday, eliminating the favoured South Americans from the tournament. Germany will go on to play Spain in the semi-finals.

REUTERS - Germany crushed Argentina 4-0 with a sparkling display of attacking football on Saturday to book their spot in the World Cup last four.

A double from Miroslav Klose on his 100th international appearance, along with goals from Thomas Mueller and defender Arne Friedrich ensured the convincing win over a lacklustre Argentina.

"It's insane to beat Argentina 4-0. It's hard to find the words for a result like that," Mueller told German television after the match. "I think Germany is quaking right now and that's the right way to celebrate this."

Man-of-the-match Bastian Schweinsteiger added: "That gives you goose bumps seeing the way people are celebrating at home.

"We may have to play Spain next -- they're the best team in the world, in my view. But we're good enough, we believe in ourselves."

German coach Joachim Loew said the team had played "like champions".

"The team did everything nearly perfectly today," he said. "The result is nearly unbelievable because Argentina have a strong defensive team. It was first class that we were able to get so many goals."